Mechanical movement



Aug. 2, 1949. R, C. SCHMIDT A 2,477,903

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Filed May 10, 1946 Try.

Patented Aug. 2, 949

UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE 2,477,903 MECHANICAL MOVEMENT Application May 1o, 1946, serial No. 668,846

This invention relates to mechanical movements, and more particularly to mechanical tuning members for electron-discharge devices, for example, of the so-called magnetron type.

An object of this invention is to devise a mechanical means for adjusting, from the outside, a member which is sealed inside an evacuated envelope. Y

Another object is to devise a mechanical tuning means for an electron-discharge tube, which means is attached to anenvelope or can which may be slipped over the completed tube assembly.

A further object is to devise a mechanical tuning member attached to an envelope or shell slipped over an electron-discharge tube assembly, in which there is no' direct mechanical connection between the member portion of saidv shell and said tube assembly, thereby rendering it unnecessary to provide a hermetic seal around any moving mechanical elements of said assembly.l

A still further object is to provide a mechanical movement for electron-discharge tubes, in lwhich a large amount oi.' movement may be Obtained.y

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understood from thel following description of an exemplication thereof, referm ence being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view through an embodiment of the mechanical movement of the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional viewtaken substantially through the center of an electrondischarge device using the mechanical movement of the invention.

Referring now more in detail to the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the present invention, with particular reference to Fig. 1 which illustrates the same, the numeral l designates a can or shell, for example of metal, which is adapted to be slipped over an electron-discharge tube assembly and hermetically sealed thereto, to complete a sealed enclosure for said tube assembly. This can or shell may be cup-shaped, being open at the bottom and closed at the top. In order to maintain the lower portion of can l air-tight, or in other words, to hermetically seal ofi the lower portion of the can from the upper portion of the can, there is provided a continuous flexible diaphragm 2, hermetically sealed, at its periphery 3, to the cylindrical wall of said can. Below diaphragm 2, and spaced therefrom, is an apertured supporting member or disk 4, which is xedly mounted on the tube assembly. Freely passing through a central aperture 5 indisk 4 isa lon- 5 Claims. (Cl. Z50-27.5)v

gitudinally-movable,member or rod 6, which is attached at its lower end rto an element which is to be actuated or driven, and which at its upper end has an enlarged portion or head 1. The upper face 8 of head 'l is made of convex shape, and is of such a curvature that it will substantially match the curvature of the central fiat or plane portion of diaphragm 2 when said fiat portion of said diaphragm is in its maximum upwardly-ex tended position. The upper face 8 of rod 6 is held at all times in firm engagement with the lower surface of diaphragm 2 by a means hereinafter described.

In order to move the central portion of diaphragm 2 downwardly, to thereby move rod 6 and the element driven thereby downwardly also, lthere is provided an actuating member 9, which is threadedly engaged near its upper end with a centrally-located"thickened portion I0 of the top wall `of can I, and which is provided with an enlarged head Il at its lower end and an enlarged head I2 at its upper end. The lower face I3 of member 9 is also of convex shape, and has a curvature which is the same as that of face t. The dimensions of actuating member 9 are made such that face I3 thereof contacts the upper surface of diaphragmr 2. Since diaphragm 2 is flexible, rotation of member 9 in the proper direction will force theY central portion of diaphragm 2 downwardly, and this force will be transmitted by means of said diaphragm to rod 6, whose face 8 is in contact with the lower surface of diaphragm 2. Since rod 6 is freely movable, it will be moved downwardly by this force, said movement being transmitted to the element to be driven, which element is inside the lower portion `of can l. Rotation of member 9 in the opposite direction will release this force.

No attempt is made to provide an air-tight seal around the threads on member 9, and therefore the portion of can l above diaphragm 2 is lled with air, and atmospheric pressure exists on the upper surface of diaphragm 2. The portion of can l below diaphragm 2 is hermetically sealed and is evacuated. In order to maintain face 8 of rod 6 in contact with the lower surface of diaphragm 2 at all times, and in order to move rod 6 upwardly to move the driven element up- Wardly when desired in response to the proper signed to provide a force in excess of normal atmospheric pressure, so that, if member 9 were absent, spring I4 would force rod 6 and the central portion of diaphragm 2 upwardly to their maximum displacement against the atmospheric pressure existing on the upper face of diaphragm 2. Therefore, when member 9 is rotated in the proper direction, spring I4 will force rod 6 and the driven element upwardly, in response to the release of downwardly-applied force of the upper face of diaphragm 2.

In assembly of the device, can` I, having mounted therein diaphragm 2 and member 9, constitutes a complete separate unit which can be slipped over a tube assembly which includes disk 4, rod 6, and spring I4. The unit I, 2, 9 may. then be hermetically sealed to the tube assembly as described hereinafter. As explained above, the driven element of the tube assembly, which is in the evacuated envelope, may, lby means of members 9, 2, 6 and I4, be moved upwardly or downwardly from the outside of the envelope by turning head I2 of member 9 in the proper direction. There is no direct mechanical connection between the unit I, 2, 9 and the tube assembly including members 4, 6, and I4, theA movement of member 9 being transmitted only indirectly through diaphragm 2, so that it is unnecessary to provide a hermetic seal around any moving elements of the assembly. Also, due to the fact that the surface of diaphragm 2 is continuous and uninterrupted, a very large movement of the same is possible. v

In Fig. 2, an electron-discharge tube of the magnetron type, using the mechanical movement of the present invention, is shown. In this figure, elements the same as those of Fig. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The numeral 4I designates an octal base on which is mounted an inverted dish-like header `42. Secured to the header 42 is a dish-like adapter I6 from which rises a plurality, here shown as two, of supporting rods I8 made of non-magnetic material, preferably, Monel metal. The tube assembly I1 is mounted, as a whole, n adapter I6 by means of supporting rods I8.

Secured to the rods I8, adjacent the top and near the bottom thereof, is a pair of magnet-supporting disks I9 and 20, made of magnetic material, and, respectively, provided at their peripheries with flanges 2| and 22, directed. toward each other, and lugs 23 and 24 punched out of the same to present openings 25 and 26 through which the rods I8 may pass, said lugs constituting the means for fastening said disks to said rods.

Depending from the disk I9, and extending upwardly from the disk 20, is a pair of similar, but magnetically opposed permanent magnets 21 and. 2c, said magnets, preferably, being cylindrical and provided, respectively, with central bores 29 and 39. The upper end of magnet 28 and the lower end of magnet 21 have a reduced cross-section and are separated from each other to provide a concentrated magnetic eld in the space therebetween.

An anode-supporting ringv3I is secured to the rods I9 intermediate the. magnet-supporting disks I9 and 20, said ring 3l having depending therefrom a cylindrical anode block 3 2, made of highly conductive material, such as copper, and provided with a multiplicity of inwardly-directed, radiallydisposed anode arms 33, each pair of adjacent anode arms, together with that portion of said anode block lying therebetween, constituting a cavity resonator whose natural resonant frequency is, as is well known, a function of the geometry of the physical elements making up the same. The anode arms 33 project into the magnetic eld intermediate the magnets 21 and 28.

Centrally disposed in the space defined by the inner ends of the arms 33, and extending into the central bores of magnets 21 and 28, is a cathode Sleeve 34 made, preferably, of nickel, and provided, in a, region coextensive with the height of said anode arms, with a highly electron-emissive coating 35, for example, of the well-known alkaline-earth. metal oxide type. The cathode sleeve 34 is supported by any suitable supporting means, not shown, which may, for example, be mounted nmagnets 21 and 28.

The coating 35 is raised to emission temperature by a suitable heating filament 48 disposed in the cathode sleeve 34, one end of said filament being electrically connected to said sleeve and the other end thereof being connected, as at 43, to a lead-in conductor 44, which has-*its outer end secured in a base pin 45, and which enters the inner region of the device through a glassJ seal 46 carried by an eyelet 41- secured in the header 42. The heating filament circuit is completed by a conductor, not shown, one end of which is electrically connected to the cathode sleeve 34, and the other end of which is connected to a lead-in conductor, not shown, similar to the lead-in conductor 44, and entering the device through like means, and terminating, for example, at a base pin 49. 'v

Disk 4 is rigidly attached to supporting rods I8 at a point spaced a little distance above magnet-supporting disk I9. As in Fig. -1, disk 4 has a centrally-located aperture 5 through which freely passes rod 6. Auannular ring 36, from which depend a plurality 'of members 31 equal in number to the number of cavity resonators and spaced so that each of said members is in a separate corresponding resonator, if held in position by a vertically-extending rod Ea, which is `integral With rod 6 and extends through an aperture 38 in disk I9, said aperture being spaced both from aperture 25 and from magnet 21. A transversely-extending rod 6b, integral with rod 6, connects off-center rod portion 6a with centrally-located rod portion 6. A rod 39, diametrically opposite from rod portion 6a, is-attached to ring 36, and, passing freely. through a corresponding aperture in disk 4, serves to keep ring 36 properly centered in its vertical travel.

Low, continuous-wave power, at low voltages may be extracted from the device by electrically connecting to one of the anode arms 33 a tab 50 made, preferably, of nickel, said tab being secured at the end of an inner conductor 5I of a coaxial transmission line, and said conductor passing out of the device through a glass seal 52 carried by an eyelet 53 ailixed to the header 42. The external end of said conductor 5I terminates in a nickel tube 54 disposed'in a recessed insulating member 55 which is carried at the outer end of an outer, tubular conductor 56 of the above-mentioned transmission line, Vsaid outer conductor 56 passing through an opening 51 with which the disk 20 is provided, and terminating just above the lower end of the anode block 32.

It will be noted that the entire4 tube assembly, including rod 6, disk 4, ring 39, the magnets 2'I and 28, the anode and cathode structures, and the power extracting device 50, etc., is supported, by means of rods I8 or header 42, from adapter I6, and may be assembled as a unit. Can I, having mounted .therein .diaphragm 2 andmember 9, may be utilized as a second complete separate unit. In assembly of the complete device, the can unit can be slipped over the tube asssembly I1 and then may be hermetically sealed, as at 40, to the adapter I6. There is no direct mechanical connection between the can unit and the tube assembly l1, the movement of member 9 being transmitted only indirectly through diaphragm 2, so that it is unnecessary to provide a hermeticseal around any moving elements of the assembly l1. Envelope or can l may be made of magnetic material, the flanges 2| and 22 of the magnet-supporting disks I9 and 29 being secured to said envelope whereby said envelope serves as a low-reluctance return path for the magnetic ilux emanating from the magnets 21 and 28.

The interior of the device is conventionally evacuated through an exhaust tubulation 5B.

In Fig. 2, as in Fig. 1 and as hereinabove explained, rotation of head I2 of member 9 causes vertical movement of rod 6. the direction of movement of the rod being dependent upon the direction of rotation of member 9. Vertical movement of rod 6 causes vertical movement of ring 36 and members 31, movement of said mem-bers within their cavity resonators constituting the adjustment which is desired to be effected from outside the magnetron.

Of course, it is t be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular details as described above, as many equivalents will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. For example, if desired, rod 39 may be made integral with rod 6. Various other variations will suggest themselves.

What is claimed is:

1. An electron discharge device including a tube element assembly and an envelope slipped over and hermetically sealed to said element assembly; said element assembly including an adjustable member and adjustable means secured thereto; said envelope assembly including an imperforate flexible wall hermetically sealed within the envelope and adjustable means bearing against the outer surface of said wall but unattached thereto and operable from without said envelope for moving said wall inwardly; said first-named means bearing against but being unattached to the inner surface of said wall.

2. An electron discharge device comprising a tube assembly and an envelope hermetically sealed to said assembly; said assembly including an adjustable element and an elongated adjustable member secured thereto; said unit including a hollow enclosure, an imperforate exible wall hermetically sealed Within said enclosure, and adjustable means bearing against the outer surface of said wall but unattached thereto and operable from without said enclosure for moving said wall inwardly; said elongated member bearing against but being unattached to the inner surface of said wall.

3. An electron discharge device including a tube element assembly and an envelope slipped over and hermetically sealed to` said element assembly; e

said element assembly including an adjustable member, adjustable means secured thereto, and` means biasing said first-named means toward the outside of said device; said envelope assembly including an imperforate flexible wall hermetically sealed within the envelope and adjustable means bearing against the outer surface of said wall but unattached thereto and operable from without said envelope for moving said wall inwardly; said first-named means bearing against but being unattached to the inner surface of said wall to bias the same outwardly.

4. An electron discharge device including a tube element assembly and an envelope therefor, said envelope assembly being adapted to be slipped over and hermetically sealed to said element assembly; said element assembly including an adjustable member, an adjustable rod secured thereto, and resilient means biasing said rod toward the outside of said device, said rod having an enlarged head of outer convex configuration; said envelope assembly including an imperforate flexible wall hermetically sealed within the envelope, and adjustable means having a portion thereof bearing against the outer surface of said wall but unattached thereto and operable from without said envelope for moving said wall inwardly, said wall-engaging portion having an outer convex configuration; said head bearing against but being unattached to the inner surface of said wall to bias the same outwardly.

5. An electron discharge device including a tube element assembly and an envelope slipped over and hermetically sealed to said element assembly; said element assembly including a cathode, an anode, an adjustable element adjacent said cathode and anode, an elongated adjustable member secured to said element, a supporting disc spaced from said cathode and anode and through which said member freely passes, and resilient means engaging said disc and said member thereby biasing said member toward the outside of said device; said envelope assembly including an imperforate flexible wall hermetically sealed within the envelope, and adjustable means bearing against the outer surface of said wall but unattached thereto and operable from without said envelope for moving said wall inwardly; said member bearing against but being unattached to the inner surface of said wall to bias the same outwardly.

ROBERT C. SCHMIDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,025,461 Leonard, Jr. Dec. 24, 1935 2,167,201 Dallenbach July 25, 1939 2,408,237 Spencer Sept. 24, 1946 2,416,318 Hotine Feb. 25, 1947 2,419,572 Laico et al. Apr. 29, 1947 

